Fare-indicator.



No. 673,401. Patented May 7, l90l. 0. KUNTZEN.

FARE INDICATOR.

(Application filed Mar. 31. 1900. (Ila Iodol.) 4 Sheets-Shut 3.

F HI:

WITNESSES INVENTOR ATTORNEYS No. 673,401. Plat'ented May 7, 190:.

0. KUNTZEN. FARE INDICATOR.

(Application filed Mar. 81, 1900.1 (No llodal.) 4 Shoatr-Shoot 4.

I I tl llt INVENTOR WITNESSES 7 0w, /CWm W W BY ATTORNEYS THE Noams ms 00., Pwro-m'na, wmmomn.

UNITED" STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OTTO KUNTZEN, OF BERLIN, GERMANY.

FARE-INDICATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent No. 673,401, dated May 7, 1 901. Application filed March 31, 1900. Serial No. 10,975. (No model.)

ject of the King of Prussia, Emperor of Germany, residing at Berlin, Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fare-Indicators; and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates more particularly to that class of fare-indicators which are adapted to be used on public carriages and cabs and other public conveyances and in which there is provided an indicator for the rate of fare to be paid, and there is also provided an indicator, usually in the form of a movable flag, to show whether the conveyance is engaged or disengaged:

The main object of my invention is to so construct an indicator of this character as to lessen the liability to mistakes and prevent other inten tionaLor unintentional wrong handling or operation of the device. This object I attain by combining with the indicatingflag and the rate-indicating devices means connecting the latter with the flag, so that the flag will be automatically moved out of position to show that the carriage is engaged when the rate-indicating devices are set in operation and the flag will be restored to the designating position when the rate indications are moved out of service or position.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated a form of fare-indicator embodyingmy invention.

Figure 1 is a face view of the indicator with the flag lowered to indicate that the apparatus is in use and that the carriage is engaged. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the indicating apparatus as out of service and with the flag in the elevated position to show that the carriage is disengaged. Fig. 3 is a plan view corresponding with Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line m on, Fig. 1, drawn to an enlarged scale. Fig. 5 is a face view of the mechanism shown in Fig. 4, the coverplate being removed. Fig. 6 is a sectional view on the line 2 2, Figs. 4 and 5. Fig. 7 is a view showing the flag-bearing portion of the mechanism. Figs. 7 and '7" are views of detached parts illustrating the detents or check and Out of service.

pawls for the flag-carrying sector, and Fig. 8 is a diagram illustrating various announcements on the announcement-drum.

The casin g 44 of the indicator is of any suitable shape and has in its front suitable openings a and a, Figs. 1 and 2, through which may show the rate and other such indications on a moving part, which in this instance is shown as in the form of a rotary drum 8, Figs.

5, 6, and 8, with five indications, including the Rate 1, Rate II, Rate III, Pay, This drum 8 turns in suitable bearings within the casing and can be rotated from the shaft 2 through a suitable intermittent self-locking feed-motion, the shaft 2 being provided with a suitable crank handle 1 outside the casing. On this handcrank shaft 2 are mounted a notched disk 3 and an arm 5 with a bent end, which at each revolution of the crank may engage with one of a series of radial slots in a disk 6, Figs. 4, 5, and 6, to thereby give to this disk a partial rotation, (one-fifth of a revolution in the case illustrated.) Between the radial slots the disk is made with concave edges, into which fits the edge of the main body of the disk 3, thus locking the disk 6 between its successive feed motions in a manner well understood.

The rotary disk 6 is coupled by a pin 7 or otherwise, Figs. 4 and 5, with a rotating announcement-drum 8. To the other side of the intermittent feed-disk 6 is secured, so as to rotate therewith, a lifting cam or cam-disk 13, Figs. 4 and 5, hereinafter referred to.

The indication-flag 23, which carries the sign Disengaged or other suitable indication, is carried by an arm 22 on a short shaft 21, which turns in a suitable bearing in the rear wall 42 of the casing, Fig. 6. Within the casing this same shaft 21 has affixed to it a sector 20, Figs. 6 and 7. Thissectorcarries a segmental gear 19, (in this case a beveled gear,) with which meshes a bevel-pinion 18, normally free to revolve on a fixed pin 43 in the casing 44. On this same pin rotates a pinion 9, in gear with a gear-wheel 4, Figs. 5 and 6, which is fastened to and revolves with the hand-crank shaft 2. The pinion 9 can be moved endwise on the pin 43 to a short distance to throw it into and out of engagement with the pinion 18 through the medium thesector-20to be-turned in the direction ofi;

ing. When the slotted feed -=disk' 6 is .so

26, which when the sector is raised will en-" engaged through the .action of this same;

'essaryagainstthe action of-a spring 24,1 pro-I form a series of ratchet-teeth '3 O, such that whilethe sector is being 'moved down in thef direction of the arrow, Fig. 7, the engaging of a ratchet-t'oo'thclutch 16 17, 'Figs. 5 3.1136. Normally the pinion!) is held out'of engagement with the pinion 18 by a spring 41, which is carried by the case and enters an annular groove in the hub 10 of the pinion 9, Figs. 4 and 5. The two pinions- 9 and 18 may be thrown into engagement by means of a lever 12, which is pivoted at 12 to the case and the rear end of which rests upon thelifting-caW 13, before referred to, while the forward end 11 of the lever is wedge-shaped, as shown in Fig. 6, and is forked to passover the'pin 43" back of thehub 10 of the pinion 9 When. the lifting-cam 13 in rotating raises the rear end of the lever 12, the wedge-shaped forward end, Fig. 1 1, wilLpushthepinion-Q for-; ward into the clutched engagement with the? .pinion 18.

A pull-spring .24, Fig. 7, orother suitable; means may be provided to act on the sector; 20., which-carries the flag 23, to tend'to draw the sector :upward to keep the flag-imposition, as represented in Figs. 2 and 7, the sector then resting against a stop 25=within the casturned'bymeans-of the crank-handle 1, shaft 2, -and arm 5 that the curved edge marked 1 of the'di'sk 6 comes to bear against the curvededge of the locking-disk 3, the lever 12 will have been so acted on by the liftingcam 13 as to depress the forward end 11 of the lever 12, and thereby cause theipinion 9 -to be moved endwise intoa clutched engagement with the beveled pinion 18,;and the con-s tin ued rotation of the crank --shaft' 2 will, through the-wheel 4 and .pinions 9 18, cause;

the arrow, Fig. 7 ,to depress the flag '23 to itslower .position, .to thereby indicate that the}; apparatus has been put into use or set in service. v p p g In connectionwith the sector 201 preferto, use a spring-actuated detent or locking-pawl;

gage with the under side-of the projectingfi part 29 of the sector, Figs. 7 and'7i, to lock; the sectorand flagin their'elevated.positions} To free this detent, I naygprOVide onthe rear end of the lever 12 Figs. 4 and'5, a .pin 15, which as the-rear end of the-lever is elevated; will act 'on the rear 'end of the .detent-leverj 26, Fig. 7 topush it out of-e'ngagernent with the portion 29-of the sector .20,and this as; soon as or before the clutch 16 l7becomesi lever 12. g

In order to-hold the sector 20 and flag 23.13; the depressed .positionlas long. as may be:nec-} vide aspringeactuated check;pawl .27, .Figs. 7iand 7",.and opposite this on" the sector I end of the ,pawl 27 will slide over the teeth 30, but this pawl will gprevent areturn movement of the sector and flag until the pawl 27 i's' -again'disengaged. This'freein-g of the sector'from the detent 27 maybeefiected by an arm 32, pivoted at 33 to the casing, Figs. 4 and 5, and acted upon by a cam or lifting disk, such as that marked 34, Fig. 4, connected to *andretu-rning withthe'intermittent feed-disk 27 and sector 20 and the fiagf23itak'es place i when the disk his turned to bringthe concave recessIV into engagement with t'h'ejperiphery of .the'loc'king-disk 3. .'In this ,position the announcement-drum 8 has been "so turned that the designation Pay" shows through the corresponding opening -in the front ofthe case 44. If no'wfafurther revo lutionis imparted to the crankshaft 2'the concaveedge'V of the feed-diskCG will be in engagement with the periphery of "the locking-dis'k 3 .andthe drum 8 will have been so turned thatthe designation Out of service will show through the openingin the case.

In order to make 'it impossible 'toturnthe announcement-disk back'from t'he'i'ndica'tion Pay to show RateIII or from thefindication Out of service to the indication "Pay,'1 ,provide a suitable checkgpawl device. .As a matter of convenience the arm32 may constitute the ,pawl and 'thecorresjponding ratchet-teeth may be formed on the disk 34. 'By this .nieans the :driver of the vehicle is compelled when .he wishes to set theap'paratus Out of service""fi rst' to setit at Ifa'y,

thereby calling on the,passengertopay. Then only can he ino'vethe drum forward"to "the IOO "nutof.service" position. Whilethedriver cannot sett'he .device' bac'kfrom Rate I to the disk'34, 'it shou'ldbe understood ltlia'tthese' teeth are not continuous around the'periphcry of the disk34; but such -a portion of the :disk 34is le ft ,plain that the driver can "set the announcement-drum 8 'backfroin ""Rate .I-IIito Rate II or to "Rate I. In this Way'he can during a trip change from "one ,rate toan'other, as may be necessary. I

"In order to prevent ithedriver frnmhd'lding the flag 23. in its lowered vpositiomas .shown in Fig.1, with the intent to defraud,

while he sets'the 'device at iP-ay? or Out ofservice, I prefer to .provideIa-detent or check pawl37, turning .on .a ;pin "36 in the casing. The.upper-end"'35 of this detent-lever37 isibent, as shown inIFigs. 4 and 5 and indicated in l7, and lies in .a curved slot 38 in the sector 20. 'With' the oppositee'nd of this detent-lever 37 I provide cooperating ratchetteeth, which for convenience are shown as placed on thelifting disk or cam 13. When the sector 20 is in its upper position, (represented in Fig. 7,) the lower edge 40 of the slot 38 so bears against the end of the lever 37 as to hold the opposite end of this lever 37 free from engagement with the teeth on the disk 13, as shown in Fig. 4. The ratchet-teeth on this disk 13 are arranged at those parts of the periphery of this disk which are opposite the engaging end of the detent 37 when the announcement-drum is set at Pay or Out of service. In this position the flag 23 must be in its upper or elevated position, since the liberation of the flag 23 from its lower position is eifected by means of the arm 32 acting upon the detent 37 when the apparatus is set at Pay. Now if the driver should desire to set the announcement-drum at Pay while he held the flag 23 in its lower position this hand rotation of the feed-disk 6 would be prevented by the detent 37 then gearing with the ratchet-teeth of the disk 13 then opposite the end of the lever 37. In other words, the drum cannot then be turned until the flag 23 has returned to its lower position so that the edge 40 of the slot 38 will have acted on the upper end 35 of the lever 37 to draw the lower end of that lever out of engagement with the teeth of the disk 13.

I claim as my invention- I 1. In a fare-indicator, the combination of an indicating-flag with rate-indicating de vices and means connecting the latter with the flag, whereby the flag is automatically moved out of position when the rate-indicating devices are set in operation and automatically restored when the said rate indications are set out of service.

2. In a fare-indicator, the combination of an indicating-flag having a toothed sector and a toothed wheel geared thereto with rateindicating devices and operating means for the latter, a clutch connection between the said operating means and the said toothed wheel, and means for throwing said clutch connection into action when the aforesaid devices are operated to set the rate, substantially as described.

3. In a fare-indicator, the combination of an indicating-flag and means tending to keep it in the disengaged position with rate-indieating devices, means connecting the latter with the flag to move the flag out of position when the rate-indicating devices are set in operation, a check-pawl to hold the flag out of position, and means to release the check-pawl for the restoration of the flag, when the rate indications are moved out of service, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

OTTO KUNTZEN.

Witnesses:

HENRY HASPER, MAT. O. STAEHLER. 

